Fort Wayne, Indiana

By Ralph Violette

In 1895, Fort Wayne officially celebrated the centennial of the construction of a Fort at the Three Rivers by General Anthony Wayne in 1794. For the belated birthday, Fort Wayne’s streets were festooned with flags and bunting. Centennial arches
were erected throughout the city, and many events filled the week-long celebration. This photographic essay examines the century since the centennial. It outlines Fort Wayne’s development in the twentieth century and conveys a picture of the city at the end of the century. The significance of the rivers in Fort Wayne’s development is explored. A chapter on Calhoun Street focuses on the changes the twentieth century has produced in the downtown area. Changes in residential patterns, transportation, and leisure-time activities are emphasized.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Dec 13, 1999
• ISBN: 9781439621783

Ralph Violette

The photographs for this collection have come from a variety of local sources, including the Allen County Public Library, the Cathedral Museum, Concordia Lutheran High School, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, and the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society. Ralph Violette has lived in Fort Wayne since 1970 and is an associate professor of history at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. Join him on this wonderful photographic glimpse into the history of this unique American city.

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PLACES

INTRODUCTION

In 1895 Fort Wayne officially celebrated the centennial of the construction of a fort in 1794 at the Three Rivers by General Anthony Wayne. For the belated birthday, Fort Wayne’s streets were festooned with flags and bunting. Centennial arches were erected throughout the city. Parades, battle re-enactments, exhibitions, lectures, and many other events filled the week-long celebration that culminated—as most Fort Wayne celebrations do—with fireworks. This photographic essay focuses on the century since the centennial, with an attempt to outline Fort Wayne’s development in the twentieth century and to convey an impression of the city at the dawn of a new century.

This essay is divided into five chapters. Chapter One, The Rivers, is an historical introduction that provides a broad context for Fort Wayne’s history by examining the roles the rivers have played in Fort Wayne’s development. Their strategic, economic, and recreational roles are emphasized. Chapter Two, Calhoun Street, focuses on the evolution of one important downtown street—a microcosm of the whole—over the course of the twentieth century. Chapter Three, Home and Work, provides photographic commentary on patterns of housing and work. Chapter Four, Celebrations, is a contemporary view of the ways people in Fort Wayne spend their leisure time and celebrate their city’s history and heritage. A major segment of this chapter is devoted to Fort Wayne’s 1994 Bicentennial Celebration. Chapter Five, Familiar Places, begins with images of places in the downtown area that most people in Fort Wayne identify as unique to the city; this chapter ends by highlighting one Fort Wayne institution that did not exist at the beginning of the twentieth century, but has become a familiar place to thousands. This slim tome is not a book about Fort Wayne firsts. It is not about prominent personalities or structures in Fort Wayne’s history. Firsts, personalities, and structures have been noted only when they fit the themes of this essay.

For those desiring additional information about Fort Wayne’s history, I recommend the many books and articles written by Michael Hawfield, the articles that appear regularly in the Journal Gazette by Nancy Vendrely, and the web pages on Fort Wayne history maintained by the News Sentinel (http://www.news-sentinel.com/ns/heartlnd/history/index.shtml) and the Department of History at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (http://www.ipfw.edu/ipfwhist/fortwayn.htm). For detailed information on some of the structures and locations mentioned in this essay, two sources are indispensable: On the Heritage Trail: A Walking Guidebook to the Fort Wayne Heritage Trail, published in 1994 by ARCH, and Fort Wayne, Indiana—Interim Report—a Presentation of Historic Resources, Achievements and Possibilities, published in 1996 by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the City of Fort Wayne.

The photographs for this collection have come from a variety of sources. The Digital Library of the Allen County Public Library, the Cathedral Museum, Concordia Lutheran High School, and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne have provided photographs for this essay. Some of the images used in a souvenir set for the popular Focus: Fort Wayne’s Past lecture series in 1977 reappear in this book. I am also indebted to my students at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and to Irene Walters, the executive director of the Fort Wayne Bicentennial Celebration Council, for contributing many photographs. I am especially indebted to the Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society for giving me access to its photo archives. This book would not have been possible without the cooperation of the Historical Society. Proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the Historical Society.

––Ralph Violette, 9 August 1999

AN OFFICIAL MILLENNIUM PROJECT OF CELEBRATE 2000

One

THE RIVERS

BICENTENNIAL MARKER. Fort Wayne owes its existence to the rivers. Native Americans hunted and settled along the rivers. French explorers from Quebec took advantage of the access the rivers provided. Fur trappers were attracted by the abundance of game along their banks. The rivers’ strategic significance contributed to a lengthy contest for control that involved the French, the British, and eventually the Americans. In the 19th century the rivers provided power for the first industries and were the source of water for the canal, which made Fort Wayne a center of commerce. In the twentieth century the rivers became the source of Fort Wayne’s drinking water, and they have provided a wide range of recreational opportunities. The rivers continue to provide a backdrop for many familiar institutions. To commemorate Fort Wayne’s bicentennial in 1994, four gateway markers were erected on major highways leading into the city. This marker on West Jefferson Boulevard represents Technology. The markers on Baer Field Thruway, Maumee Avenue, and Coldwater Road represent, respectively, Transportation, Industry, and People and Community. (Photo by Elmer Denman.)

MAUMEE RIVER AT FORT WAYNE, 1898. Two rivers—the St. Mary’s and the St. Joseph—merge in Fort Wayne to form the Maumee. The St. Mary’s originates in western Ohio, and the St. Joseph flows south from Michigan. From its headwaters in Fort Wayne, the Maumee meanders northeastward to Lake Erie. No development marred the tranquility of this turn-of-the-century view of the Maumee at Fort Wayne. (Allen County Public Library.)

JESUIT STATUE. Jesuit missionaries from Quebec were probably the first Europeans to view the three rivers. This bronze statue on the grounds of the Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant commemorates the unknown explorer who gave the rivers their names. Commissioned by the Joseph Parrot family, the statue was designed by Fort Wayne artist Hector Garcia and was completed in 1976. The 7-foot figure points to the spot where the St. Mary’s and the St. Joseph become the Maumee. (Photo by Ralph Violette.)

MARKER OF FIRST FRENCH FORT IN FORT WAYNE. Fort Wayne was the location of a heavily used portage on the most direct route from Lake Erie to the Mississippi. Travelers carried their canoes a short distance over land from the